ABSTRACT
In author's opinion the notion of 'action' is the most basic, and potentially the most valuable, part of the Moscow Art Theatre technique. 'Action' was certainly the word we heard most frequently from them; from Richard Boleslavski in his rehearsals and informal talks, from Madame in her classes in the technique of acting. Like almost all practicing artists, Boley and Madame Maria Ouspenskaya did not have much faith in theorizing, but they were willing to try to explain 'action' in words. The Poetics certainly makes more sense if one reads it after a long immersion in Boley's and Madame's practical lore of action. Conversely, the Moscow technique makes more sense when cultivated in the light of Aristotle's doctrine of action. The Moscow technique is often supposed to work only for modern realistic drama. The more realistic our plays and our acting become, the narrower and more subjective they seem.
